Sunday, March 13, 2011

Akita: The Earthquake and Tsunami

A note.
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Please don't think that I am pointing to devotion to Our Lady in response to the Japanese earthquake as if I believe the disaster is some form of special chastisement for Japan. That would be absurd and presumptuous.
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Our Lady is Help of Christians, Consolation of the Afflicted: We turn to her in prayer in this our exile and veil of tears, asking her intercession and help in our time of need. The Japanese are not greater sinners than ourselves or anyone else. I hope no one presumes to know the mind of God in these matters.
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I cannot stop thinking and praying for those who have died and those who are homeless, displaced, and suffering as a result of these disasters, not to mention the threat of nuclear catastrophe.
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If we cannot help financially or through actual rescue efforts, we can do so by our prayer and sacrifice.

10 comments:

I never thought you were implying anything. Our Lady's words give ALL of us pause to think. It occurs to me how ironic it is that she talked about a deluge the likes of which we have ever seen, especially in light of the images. The symbols of Japan's economy, automobiles, washed away like so many toys in the waves of the tsunami.

I am very glad you printed what you did because no matter who and where we are, we can never be reminded too many times of the need to pray the Rosary.

"I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings."

That's from the end of the flood story in Genesis, when God speaks of his covenant with Noah. I am not saying that God would not be within his rights to send a chastisement worse than the flood. He'd be with His rights to send us all to hell now. But didn't he *promise* to spare the world such a terrible punishment?

And I don't think I can imagine God saying "Ooooh, I said flood but I didn't say anything about nuclear explosions or comets! - Gotcha!"

We all need to pray and do penance for our sins, and sometimes for he sins of others, and we can always do more.

Yes, this is a huge catastrophe, but let's keep it in perspective: World War 2: 72 million dead, with untold other damage done. And that was a direct result of man's sin and man's adoption of ideas and ways of life incompatible with God: sin always brings its own punishment.

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes, but when the day is spent just trying to keep from spiraling out of control in despair and self-hatred, these dire predictions are poison to what little spiritual life I have, to the little amount of Faith I can muster up.

"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.

Last night I went to Mass at a church where my parents were married, Blessed Sacrament,in Chevy Chase MD. This is an old,old church in the DC area. The beautiful, orginal altar is hidden. The dais was awash with altar girls. For the sermon? The priest quoted Teddy Kennedy and Joan Chittister. People spoke to one another as if a football game. Phones were constantly ringing. Genuflection? Forget it.

No, no one is blaming anyone; however, the Blessed Mother's message calls us to make reparation for these sacrileges. We will not be warned, forever, without consequence. This is what the BLESSED MOTHER, not me, has said.

Flavius Josephus http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/josephus.html the History of the Jewish War from A.D. 66-73, gives the history of the destruction of the Temple .

This is a description of what will happen at the end of times.

The Romans and the Jews saw horses flying through the air, two suns, fire fall from the sky, earthquakes, and natural calamities.

A woman gave birth to a child during the destruction, and began to dismember and eat the child while it was still alive.

When a Roman was about to kill a Jew, another Jew would run up from behind and kill the Jew first.

The Romans later stated that it was the strangest battle they had ever been in.

We are now seeing what God has already shown us before.

If we belong to the Kingdom of Christ, we should have no fear; even if we are to die during this time, we have begged the Lord to allow us to come to the fulfillment of His promises; even more importantly, we have prayed for God’s grace upon the poor sinners.

During the India tsunami, the wave came to shore and went up the side of Saint Thomas’s log, and then receded, without touching the log.

Indians were at Mass in our Lady’s Chapel when the tsunami hit and all the chauffeurs waiting outside were drowned.

The tsunami went around the Church and did not wet it at all.

St. Thomas went to India and wished to build Churches there. The place where he began his evangelization, there was no wood. A log washed up onto the shore, and about forty Indians were trying to pull it onto the beach when St. Thomas wrapped his sash around it, and pulled it ashore.

He built three Churches with it and still had the same amount of wood left over.

He then stood it straight up in the sand, where it stands to this day.

The foolish Indians poured cement around the base because their lack of Faith in Heaven told them it was not possible to stand more than the almost two thousand years it had already stood alone.

Earth quakes, hurricanes, forest fires, plagues of locusts, and so on are ordered by God; there is one angel for every blade of grass that grows and dies. It does nothing without God’s command. We need to understand supernatural grace.

Whatever befalls us is God’s will. We should give Him praise at all times, like the successful Farmer.

He once was asked why he was so successful when all the other Farmers failed.

“God always gives me the perfect weather and conditions” was his reply.

When told the other Farmers had the exact same weather, he replied, “No, they are never satisfied with what God gives them weather wise.

No matter what weather God gives me, I rejoice, and thank Him”.

“He says ‘Your Welcome’ by giving me bountiful harvests.”

If people are killed in chastisement, or through the normal process of dying, we should be grateful and rejoice, and beg Him to have mercy on those souls:

O MOST MERCIFUL JESUS, Lover of souls I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thine Own Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and who are to die this day. Amen.

HEART OF JESUS, once in agony, have pity on the dying.

If we are to die in chastisement, make sure you are busy doing the Lord’s work when it befalls you.

Veritatis Splendor

About Me

... My idea of what I am is falsified by my preoccupation about what I do. And my illusions about myself are bred by contagion from the illusions of other men. We all seek to emulate one anothers imagined greatness....If I do not know who I am, it is because I think I am the sort of person everyone around me wants me to be. I have asked myself whether I wanted to become what everybody else seems to want to become... only to realize that I do not admire what everyone else seems to admire. I have only thus begun to live after all... But it is very late. - Adapted from a quote by Thomas Merton

Holy Face of Jesus

Show us your face and we shall be saved. "Each soul is the object of My special love. That is why I am so grateful to those who are resourceful and bringing back sinners to Me. Keep this in mind then. I gave My life for them in the most atrocious torture, for these poor beloved ones. A humble repentance, and they are already on My heart. So speak gently to them. Speak with tenderness. A brusque remark could drive them farther away." - He and I

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.